{"id":27696,"date":"2017-08-24T08:14:35","date_gmt":"2017-08-24T12:14:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=27696"},"modified":"2017-08-25T08:34:41","modified_gmt":"2017-08-25T12:34:41","slug":"an-old-radio-soul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/08\/an-old-radio-soul\/","title":{"rendered":"An Old Radio Soul"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>I find old radio souls now and again<\/strong> who seem, at least to me, to be in touch with the spiritual side of radio. I am not talking about religious programming or some weird cult, but rather they are folks whose souls have been touched by the magic of radio. It is mystical, magical, and at times seems to connect our physical bodies to the very electrons which flow through the air. It is as though our minds are connecting with the radio signals like old friends, able to hear and be heard.<\/p>\n

Yeah, I know, I am weird. Radio is in no small part connected to me in a special way because of the role it played in my youth. Perhaps more recent generations will not be able to relate since their exposure to media has been raised by orders of magnitude compared to my generation. For me, and at least some of the \u201cold souls\u201d I have met, radio touched a very special place in our hearts and in our imaginations. It was \u201cother\u201d and yet uniquely ours.<\/p>\n

When I discovered shortwave radio I thought I had found radio nirvana (okay, maybe that really came only after I got my amateur radio license and could talk, literally, around the world). Shortwave radio first connected me to the world, however, as finding stations on the air meant being exposed to people from completely different cultures who were both unique and yet just like me.<\/p>\n

Music has always had a direct path into the soul, but it is not just my own culture\u2019s music which stirs me\u2013I find life in the music of all cultures. Shortwave radio allows me to experience this life as a welcomed outsider. The music and words are there for me to take in, offered from the hearts of those who created it. We become bound together in our humanity in those moments, much as we become bound together with nature as we listen to waves crashing against the beach or when rain splatters in the forest.<\/p>\n

The comedian and banjo player extraordinaire Steve Martin once said in a comedy routine, \u201cYou can\u2019t play a depressing song on the banjo,\u201d and proceeded to demonstrate the perky, upbeat sounds of the instrument. I feel this is similar to listening to music from around the world\u2013we cannot be disconnected from those with whom we share such intimate moments though music. I may not understand the words, but my soul understands the heart within the music.<\/p>\n

There are those who say shortwave radio is dead because so many stations have gone off the air. Shortwave is alive and well, and evidence of this is there for all to see if they are willing to look. It is not FM, it is not audio streaming. It is radi<\/em>o<\/em>. Signals speeding through the air, bouncing off the atmosphere, crashing waves of electrons hurtling through the ether to find expression through our speakers and our headphones.<\/p>\n

The noise and static which may accompany the signals are evidence of the hard-fought battle waged by those electrons to reach our shores and thus our ears. \u201cYou made it!\u201d \u201cYou made it!\u201d The signals arrive scarred from the journey, but they are here and they speak to us. And they arrive all up and down along the dial on every band, on every day without fail. They are<\/em> here, just waiting to be discovered, even if now and again they must play a game of hide and seek with us because of seasons and solar cycles and shortened propagation paths. They are<\/em> here, nevertheless, I promise.<\/p>\n

Radio is the medium which brings together all of these things for me and fills my soul with gratitude. -73, Robert<\/p>\n

Robert Gulley, AK3Q,\u00a0is the author of this post and a regular contributor<\/a> to the SWLing Post. Robert also blogs<\/em>\u00a0at All Things Radio<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I find old radio souls now and again who seem, at least to me, to be in touch with the spiritual side of radio. I am not talking about religious programming or some weird cult, but rather they are folks whose souls have been touched by the magic of radio. It is mystical, magical, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[442,3,43,1167],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-music","category-news","category-shortwave-radio","category-whats-on-shortwave"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-7cI","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":51504,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/01\/shortwaves-giant-carlos-explores-evangelical-broadcasting-to-mena\/","url_meta":{"origin":27696,"position":0},"title":"Shortwave’s Giant: Carlos explores evangelical broadcasting to MENA","author":"Thomas","date":"January 16, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and political cartoonist, Carlos Latuff, who shares the following guest post: WINNING HEARTS, MINDS AND...SOULS! Catechizing via shortwave. by Carlos Latuff, special for The SWLing Post During the Vietnam War (1955-1975), the expression \"hearts and minds\" became popular and referred to the US government's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Guest Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Guest Posts","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/guest-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Carlos-Latuff-Radios-D-808-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Carlos-Latuff-Radios-D-808-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Carlos-Latuff-Radios-D-808-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Carlos-Latuff-Radios-D-808-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Carlos-Latuff-Radios-D-808-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Carlos-Latuff-Radios-D-808-1.jpeg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":54905,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/in-search-of-the-unique-the-weird-the-unusual-a-reader-participation-post\/","url_meta":{"origin":27696,"position":1},"title":"In search of the unique, the weird, the unusual . . . a reader participation post","author":"Jock Elliott","date":"December 5, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM There is a richness in human experience, and I want to sample it. When I worked the world on the HF ham bands, I considered myself a \u201cconversation hunter.\u201d I wasn\u2019t content to simply make a contact, exchange signal reports, and move on; I wanted to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ham Radio"","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/short-dipole-002-001-1024x734.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/short-dipole-002-001-1024x734.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/short-dipole-002-001-1024x734.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":61727,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/01\/carlos-illustrated-radio-listening-report-special-los-angeles-wildfires-vatican-radio-nhk-cgtn-and-kyodo-news-from-january-11-2025\/","url_meta":{"origin":27696,"position":2},"title":"Carlos\u2019 Illustrated Radio Listening Report Special: Los Angeles Wildfires (Vatican Radio, NHK, CGTN and Kyodo News) from January 11, 2025","author":"Thomas","date":"January 13, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to\u00a0SWLing Post\u00a0contributor and noted political cartoonist,\u00a0Carlos Latuff, who shares the following illustrated radio listening reports, all covering the ongoing Los Angeles Wildfires. 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Its HF coverage is limited to 2300 - 21950KHz, but it also receives standard AM & FM and plays mp3 files from a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/L258-ez-fm-am-sw-multiband-radio-mp3-speaker.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/L258-ez-fm-am-sw-multiband-radio-mp3-speaker.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/L258-ez-fm-am-sw-multiband-radio-mp3-speaker.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/L258-ez-fm-am-sw-multiband-radio-mp3-speaker.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6844,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2013\/07\/jonathan-remembers-radio-netherlands-worldwide-one-year-on\/","url_meta":{"origin":27696,"position":4},"title":"Jonathan remembers Radio Netherlands Worldwide one year on","author":"Thomas","date":"July 4, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"A few days ago, former RNW employee, Jonathan Marks, was sorting out some papers in his office when something \"spooky\" happened: \"one sheet [of paper] fell out of a pile and onto the floor. It was the page of the last day of transmission from Radio Netherlands, English department.\" \"What\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"RNW's final broadcast schedule (Source: Jonathan Marks)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/CriticalDistance-FinalBroadcastScheduleRNW-211x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":45669,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/radio-waves-the-weird-wide-web-of-sw-voa-whistleblower-complaint-kiwisdr-v-raspberrysdr-and-the-portable-operations-challenge-this-weekend\/","url_meta":{"origin":27696,"position":5},"title":"Radio Waves: The “Weird Wide Web” of SW, VOA Whistleblower Complaint, KiwiSDR v RaspberrySDR, and the Portable Operations Challenge this weekend","author":"Thomas","date":"October 2, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Radio Waves:\u00a0 Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio Because I keep my ear to the waves, as well as receive many tips from others who do the same, I find myself privy to radio-related stories that might interest\u00a0SWLing Post\u00a0readers.\u00a0 To that end:\u00a0Welcome to the\u00a0SWLing Post\u2019s Radio Waves, a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ham Radio"","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/117865359_3403304439693051_4540999932910451898_n.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/117865359_3403304439693051_4540999932910451898_n.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/117865359_3403304439693051_4540999932910451898_n.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/54"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27696"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27696\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}